The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FIFA

  • 2018 FIFA: South Korea to announce squad May 14

    South Korea will unveil their roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on May 14, the country’s football governing body said on Monday in Seoul.

    The Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea men’s national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong would announce his roster for the 2018 World Cup at Seoul City Hall.

    For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, South Korea announced their 23-man squad at the National Football Centre in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

    Shin is currently in the final stages of piecing together his squad.

    Last weekend, he was at two K League matches to watch national team players.

    On Saturday, Shin attended the K League 1 match between FC Seoul and Daegu FC.

    He went on to see the K League 2 match between Asan Mugunghwa FC and Seoul E-Land the following day.

    A KFA official said Shin would look closely at the performances of defenders who are with South Korean and Japanese clubs.

    The official added that the 49-year-old coach was scheduled to fly to Japan this weekend to watch the J1 League match between Sagan Tosu and Gamba Osaka.

    South Korean defender Jeong Seung-hyeon, who has been considered a back-up centre-back for the national team, plays with Sagan Tosu.

    South Korea are scheduled to play two friendly matches at home with the squad to be unveiled on May 14.

    The Taeguk Warriors will face Honduras in Daegu on May 28 and take on Bosnia and Herzegovina three days later in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

    They will then fly to Austria to play against Bolivia on June 7 and Senegal on June 11 to fine-tune their preparations for the World Cup.

    Shin’s side will move to St. Petersburg in Russia, where its World Cup base camp is located, on June 12.

    South Korea are in Group F at the 2018 World Cup with Germany, Sweden and Mexico.

    NAN

  • FIFA rankings: Nigeria moves 5 places up

    Nigeria has moved five places up, now 47th in the world and sixth in Africa with 635 points in the April FIFA/Coca Cola rankings released on Thursday.

    In the previous rankings, Nigeria was on 52nd position with 609 points.

    Meanwhile, Tunisia is the highest ranked African team on 14th place with Senegal and DR Congo on 28 and 38 positions respectively.

    Germany still retains first place with Brazil following closely while Belgium who was fifth in the March rankings is now third.

    The next rankings will be published on May 17, 2018.

    NAN

  • FIFA testing new rules: yellow cards for coaches

    Football’s ruling body FIFA is testing three possible new rules including yellow cards for coaches at youth tournaments, according to Deputy Secretary-General Zvonimir Boban.

    Boban told Wednesday’s edition of German weekly Sport Bild that coaches and other officials are currently sent off immediately for offences which is not ideal.

    “Up to now coaches were sent to the stands straight away in the case of wrongdoings.

    “The yellow card informs the coach that he has to control his temper, otherwise he is in for it,” Boban said.

    The other tested rule changes are allowing goalkeepers to make kick-offs to teammates positioned within the penalty area, and to have substituted players leave the pitch anywhere.

    “Players who are substituted are often slow to leave the pitch, fake problems to waste time and to disturb the rhythm of the opposition before they leave the pitch at the midfield line,” Boban said.

    “The referee can now order them to leave the pitch anywhere.”

    dpa/NAN

  • Russia 2018: Last minute ticket sales for April 18

     

    Last minute sales phase of the forthcoming World cup in Russia will begin on April 18, World soccer ruling body FIFA has announced. Tickets for the World cup billed for kick off June 14 have been done in phases.  The second phase of the sales which opened on March 13 came to a close April 3rd with 1,698,049 tickets sold so far. The just ended phase coming just

    72 days to kick off saw a total of 394,433 tickets allocated to fans across the world in real time at FIFA.com/tickets.

    Most of the tickets during this sales period were allocated to Russian fans (216,134), followed by fans from USA (16,462), Argentina (15,006), Colombia (14,755), Mexico (14,372), Brazil (9,962), Peru (9,766), China (6,598), Germany (5,974), Australia (5,905) and India (4,509) – the top ten countries from abroad.

    1,698,049 tickets have been allocated to fans worldwide since sales started in September 2017, with the overall international demand accounting for 53%.

    “The last-minute sales phase will commence on 18 April at 12:00 Moscow time at FIFA.com/tickets. From then until the end of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, fans will have their last opportunity to purchase tickets online for FIFA’s flagship event on a first-come, first-served basis (subject to availability)”FIFA informed on Tuesday.

    The soccer body however reminded fans of the need to apply for fan ID, adding that it will not assume any liability or responsibility concerning the application, issue and or use of FAN IDs.

    “At the request of the Russian authorities, all fans attending matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup need to apply for a FAN ID – the official identity document issued to fans. Fans are encouraged to apply for this free document as soon as possible after they have received their ticket confirmation email, “It said.

  • North Korea set to part ways with Norwegian coach

    North Korea will part ways with its men’s national football team head coach Jorn Andersen after spending nearly two years with the Norwegian, according to foreign media reports Friday.

    Norway’s TV2 reported that Andersen recently met with Hong Kong Football Association officials to discuss his coaching job.

    This happened after North Korea beat Hong Kong 2-0 in the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifying match in Pyongyang.

    Andersen’s contract with North Korea ends at the end of March.

    According to TV 2, Andersen who is a former German Bundesliga top goal scorer decided not to renew his contract with North Korea.

    He is said to be close to leading the Hong Kong national football team.

    Andersen took the helm of the North Korean men’s national football team in May 2016.

    Read Also: Trump and North Korea leader to hold ‘milestone’ meeting

    He was the second foreigner to manage North Korea after Hungarian Pal Csernai in 1991.

    The 55-year-old collected six wins, one draw and one loss in his first year with North Korea.

    He led the communist nation to qualify for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship.

    Andersen also helped North Koreans to play in Europe, such as Han Kwang-song at Italian side Cagliari and Jong Il-kwan at Swiss outfit Luzern.

    Andersen renewed his contract with North Korea last December and focused on North Korea qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup.

    North Korea finished second in Group B behind Lebanon in the Asian Cup qualifying campaign and earned their sport at the AFC event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    North Korea are ranked No. 119 in the latest FIFA rankings.

    NAN

  • Greek club PAOK’s president gets 3-year ban for gun incident

    Club PAOK Salonika’s president Ivan Savvidis has been banned from all football stadiums for three years for storming onto the pitch with a gun during a league game.

    The Greek league’s disciplinary committee, which made the statement, also said on Thursday that the club was stripped of three points, thereby ending their title chances.

    Savvidis, a Georgia-born businessman and former Russian state Duma deputy, charged onto the pitch with a gun in his belt.

    His action was as a result of a PAOK disallowed goal in a match against fellow title contenders AEK Athens on March 11.

    The game was interrupted and the incident prompted an immediate suspension of the league by the Greek government.

    The world football governing body, FIFA, considers possible action against Greece over repeated crowd trouble and violence in the stadiums.

    The government lifted the ban on Tuesday with Super league matches set to resume over the weekend.

    Read Also: Greek club PAOK wants Sunday Mba

    Savvidis was also fined 100,000 euros (87,539 pounds) and the club, fined an additional 63,000 euros, and must play three matches behind closed doors.

    PAOK sports director Lubos Michel, a former international referee, was banned for 90 days and fined 15,000 euros after also entering the pitch and complaining to the referee.

    The disciplinary committee awarded the game to AEK Athens and stripped two points from PAOK from next season’s championship.

    PAOK said they would appeal.

    “The sanction is harsh and was delivered under the pressure of a coordinated media storm against PAOK,” the club said in a statement.

    “We are proceeding with an appeal and wait to be judged on real facts.”

    FIFA has warned Greece to clean up football or risk a possible international ban.

    “The word Grexit is no more impossible. Greek football is going to an edge,” Herbert Huebel, head of a FIFA monitoring committee for Greek football, said earlier this month.

    NAN

  • Super Falcons drop one place in FIFA ranking

     

    *Remain No 1 in Africa

    The Nation’s female football team the Super Falcons went a step down in the latest FIFA ranking released Friday to occupy the 38th position.  Falcons were in the 37th position as at the last ranking but have been edged out of the 37th position by Argentina. Despite the slip however the Falcons remained the highest ranked African country and the only African country in the top 50.

    United States are ranked number one followed by the Lionesses of England who only recently engaged former Manchester United ace Phil Neville as coach replacing former coach Mark Sampson.

    Germany, Canada, France, Australia, Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden and Korea DPR complete the top 10 countries in that order.

    The United States’ team  were unbeaten as they won this month’s sheBelieves Cup on home soil, while Germany failed to register a single victory at the annual invitational tournament in which Nigerian born England international

    Eniola Aluko left out.

    Super Falcons only recently got a new Swedish coach Thomas Dennerby after the Nigeria Football Federation opted not to renew the contract of former international Florence Omagbemi.

    Dennerby, a former coach of Sweden Women’s national team, coached the Sweden senior team between 2005 and 2012, during which the team played at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2007 and 2011 FIFA World Cup finals, winning bronze at the latter tournament. He began his assignment with the Super Falcons with the West Africa Football Union (WAFU) tournament where the team finished in the 3rd place claiming the Bronze.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • FIFA women’s rankings: Germany drop to third, Nigeria now 38th

    Germany dropped out of the top two in the FIFA women’s rankings for the first time since 2009 after a poor run of results while the U.S. retained top spot.

    The U.S. team was unbeaten as they won this month’s She Believes Cup on home soil, while Germany failed to register a single victory at the annual invitational tournament.

    England’s second place in the tournament under new manager Phil Neville secured those No.2 spot in the rankings for the first time.

    France rose to fifth after finishing third in the She Believes Cup.

    Netherlands remain at No.7 while Sweden rose to ninth after being named joint winners of the Algarve Cup.

    Canada, who finished fifth at the event, climbed to fourth in the rankings.

    Japan, who won the World Cup in 2011 and finished runners-up in 2015, has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2007.

    They lost two of their four matches this year.

    Cyprus Cup champions Spain rose to 12th, their best yet.

    Read Also: Nigeria’s U-20 arrive Polkwane For FIFA Women’s W/Cup Qualifier

    Nigeria dropped one step to 38 on the rankings, after amassing 1608 points, five less than the 1613 it gathered a month earlier.

    But Nigeria is still Africa’s number one on the CAF rankings; with Ghana and Cameroon maintain their second and third places respectively.

    Top 10 FIFA women’s rankings (previous positions in brackets):

    U.S. (1)

    England (3)

    Germany (2)

    Canada (5)

    France (6)

    Australia (4)

    Netherlands (7)

    Brazil (8)

    Sweden (10)

    Korea DPR (11)

    NAN

  • Nigeria retain 52nd position in latest FIFA rankings

    Nigeria retained her previous 52nd position in the world and seventh in Africa in the March FIFA/Coca Cola World rankings released on Thursday.

    Nigeria had 609 points, two points below Cameroon that is 51st in the world.

    The top five is unaltered, with Germany still on top, while Poland that will be up against the Super Eagles in a friendly are the only movers in the top 20, having climbed into joint-sixth position alongside Spain.

    Read Also: Paris Agreement: ’Nigeria moving in right direction’

    Tunisia remains the top African country on 23rd position, followed by Senegal on 27th and DR Congo on 39th.

    The Super Eagles World Cup Group D foes Argentina is on 4th place, Croatia on 15th and Iceland on 18th.

    The next edition of the rankings will be released on April 12.

    NAN

  • Okocha, Maradona  others star in FIFA W/Cup promo

    Okocha, Maradona  others star in FIFA W/Cup promo

     

    *Vladimir Putin shows skill

    Former Super Eagles midfield maestro Jay Jay Okocha is among top retired and active soccer players that stared in FIFA promotional video launched to mark 100 days to the kick off of the World Cup in Russia.

    The Nigerian international and former Bolton and PSG ace appeared in the video dazzling with his trickery whilst on a driveway.

    If you however think that only footballers have exclusive ability to thrill with the ball, then you are very wrong as Russian President Vladimir Putin proved he is not a push over as he did not hesitate to showcase his skill when he took on FIFA President Gianni Infantino as part of the program.

    Putin appeared in the promotional video to aimed at further putting the world in the mood for mother of all tournaments where 32 countries will battle for supremacy

    The clip was recorded by the governing body, counting the amount of touches various stars notch up while doing keepy-uppies.

    To close the video, Putin and the FIFA president Gianni Infantino can be seen in a luxurious room knocking the ball back and forth to each other with the President even delivering a header.  

    Before Putin enters the fray, the trailer starts with the words ‘Some people cannot wait for the greatest show on earth’, before Wayne Rooney appears in an indoor centre to start the proceedings.

    After three keep-ups, the screen flashes to Brazilian striker Ronaldo on a balcony overlooking a beach who starred for his country as well as Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid in the late 90s and early 2000s.

    He is followed by a flurry of former international stars including Spain’s Carlos Puyol and Nigeria and Bolton’s Jay Jay Okocha who dazzles with his trickery whilst on a driveway.

    The 20th keepy-uppy is registered by Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who balances the ball on his foot whilst holding onto a counter in a kitchen.

    Australia’s Harry Kewell and Saudi Arabia’s most capped outfield player Sami Al Jaber both enjoy some screen time as well as, perhaps surprisingly, Leeds flop Thomas Brolin from Sweden.

    England fans are given a throwback to the 1998 World Cup in France with an appearance by Carlos Valderama, who is still sporting his trademark blonde afro but has substituted his Columbia kit for a suit.

    Nostalgic figures such as Paolo Wanchope and Peter Schmeichel are seen keeping the ball off the ground as well as France’s David Trezeguet before the video returns to Putin and Infantino.

    Between them, they bring up the 100 keepy-uppies before the video signs off, ‘Russia 2018. 100 days to go’.

    The tournament begins on June 14 and will run until July 15 with 12 arenas in 11 cities prepared to host matches.